100th NVSWCD Green Breakfast, Sep. 14th

/in , , /by

Fairfax County Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA
Saturday, 14 September 2019
8:30 am

Walking Tour of Fairfax County Government Center Stormwater Infrastructure

To celebrate the 100th Green Breakfast, you are invited to join us for a tour of the Fairfax County Government Center Stormwater Infrastructure.

Please Note: Special Location!
We will meet on the path at the start of the meadow behind and to the left of the main Government Center building, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Virginia 22035. View a map showing the meeting place.

Gather beginning at 8:30 am, the tour begins at 9:00 am
No prior registration required. No breakfast provided this time.

The Green Breakfast will return to its regular location and breakfast on Saturday, November 9, 2019.

If you have any questions, please contact the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District at [email protected].

Earth Sangha fall open house and native plant sale

/in , , /by

Wild Plant Nursery
6100 Cloud Drive, Springfield VA
Sunday, 22 September 2019
10am – 2pm
Click here for the Wild Plant Nursery Species List.

The Fall is really the best time to visit the Earth Sangha nursery. In the Spring, plants are still emerging from winter dormancy, and so they cannot offer as many species. The Fall, as experienced gardeners know, is also the best time to plant! Trees, shrubs, and perennials like the cooler weather and greater rainfall lets them establish robust roots. Late blooming annuals can make great additions to your garden, and many will “volunteer” from seed next year.

All plant sale proceeds go toward local parkland restoration. Last fall, customers helped them raise over $15,600 for local parkland restoration!
Choose from over 275 local-ecotype native species and help them fund the restoration of our area’s native flora.

If you’re interested in volunteering at the sale please email Katherine Isaacson at [email protected]. There will be a morning shift (9:45 to Noon) and an afternoon shift (Noon to 2:30).

HOAs and condo associations: Sustainable solutions to landscaping headaches, Oct. 4th & Nov. 2nd

/in , , /by

Northern Virginia Community College, Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center

Annandale Campus, Annandale VA Friday, October 4 or Saturday, November 2
(Choose one date to attend. The content will be identical.)
9:30am – 1 pm

Is your community association board dealing with erosion or flooding problems? Is your property management company paying to maintain a lot of lawn that is not being used? Is your landscaping committee looking for ways to beautify community property while supporting birds and butterflies?

Unused lawns. Impervious surface. Heavier rain storms. Invasive introduced plants. These are just some of the reasons for our degrading suburban and urban environments. But planting native plants can help address these problems while improving the overall beauty, sustainability, and ecology of our area.

Board members, landscape committees, property managers, and landscape maintenance companies are particularly encouraged to attend, but everyone is welcome. See details and sign up here.

Update on Lake Accotink management options, Sep. 19th

/in , /by

Cardinal Forest Elementary School
8600 Forrester Blvd., Springfield VA
Thursday, 19 September 2019
Open house 6:30 – 7 pm
Q&A 7 – 9 pm

The Park Authority will join Braddock District Supervisor John Cook and Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay to discuss the future plans for Lake Accotink. Members of the community are invited.

Several management options were studied and presented to the community for comment on April 30, 2018. The public input received, coupled with additional analysis for lake management options, informed the proposed management plan. If you are unable to join them at this meeting, the presentation will be shared online after the meeting with an opportunity to provide additional comments.

Previous meeting presentations and detail about the lake management options studied can be found on the Lake Accotink Park Master Plan Revision webpage and more in-depth analysis can be found in the Lake Sustainability Study.  If you have any questions please contact Adam Wynn, Project Manager via [email protected] .

RVA Environmental Film Festival Seeking Virginia Filmmakers

/in , /by

Contact: Scott Burger
Email: [email protected]; Phone: 804.714.5444
Deadline 31 December 2019

Richmond, VA – The 10th RVA Environmental Film Festival is now accepting entries for the upcoming 2020 Virginia Environmental Film Contest.  This contest was initiated during the 2013 RVA Environmental Film Festival, and it is once again offering prize money to aspiring film producers from around the state for their submissions now through December 31, 2019.  The selected entries will be shown Sunday, February 9, 2020 at the Byrd Theater in Richmond.  Prizes, including the $1,000 grand prize, will be awarded that day. 
“The RVA Environmental Film Festival documentary contest is so important, unlike anything in Richmond.  It provides a platform to share new work and it encourages future storytelling”  – Melissa Lesh, former RVA Environmental Film Festival Contest winner.
  The RVA EFF Committee considers this film contest one of the main features of the festival.  “We think the contest is important as a way to connect with not just our local natural environment, but also our Virginia film community,” says Scott Burger, one of the festival’s founders.  We want to challenge local filmmakers to bring new perspectives and ideas.”

Entries can be submitted via the online site FilmFreeway.com or by sending DVD with fee, press kit, and contact information to Scott Burger, 612 S. Laurel Street, Richmond, VA 23220-6514.  Filmmakers should be sure to review the contest rules on the FilmFreeway.com site: 
 
https://filmfreeway.com/RVAEnvironmentalFilmFestival
 

The RVA Environmental Film Festival was founded in 2011 and is modeled after the 2008”s Big Picture Festival and other metropolitan environmental film festivals.  The mission is to showcase films that raise awareness of environmental issues relative to all residents of our planet.  Many of the films are new releases and area premiers.  The 2020 RVA Environmental Film Festival is scheduled for early February 2020 at venues in the greater Richmond community.  Admission to the festival is free and open to the public due to generous community sponsors.  More information on the festival can be found at https://rvaeff.org

Volunteer at Riverbend’s Native American Festival, Sept 7

/in , , /by

Join Riverbend at this year’s Virginia Native American Festival held at Riverbend Park in Great Falls, VA, on Saturday, September 7, 10-4. Admission is $8 online, $10 at the gate. Volunteers receive free admission to the festival.

To volunteer, register here, by September 1.

You can sign-up for a shift directly. Valerie Espinosa will contact you about station assignments soon, but feel free to let her know if you have any questions or are volunteering with a group. Riverbend is  providing a shuttle from Colvin Run Mill again this year.

About the Native American Festival 

Celebrate the culture & history of the first people of Virginia. The festival includes eight American Indian tribes from Virginia, including the Rappahannock dancers and drummers. Enjoy hands-on activities and live demonstrations that include American Indian storytelling, shooting bow and arrows, throwing spears and making stone tools. Help build a dugout canoe, and visit a marketplace of American Indian crafts, pottery and jewelry. $8 online, $10 at the gate.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Valeria at [email protected] or call 703-759-9018.

Upcoming programs at the gorgeous Clifton Institute

/in , , /by

Six exciting programs are coming up at The Clifton Institute:

Creatures of the Night

Walk with A Naturalist

Bugscaping: Regenerative Landscaping for the 21st Century

Colors of Clifton: Preserving the Palette of Autumn

Mindful Naturalists: Nature Yoga

Nature Journaling with Joyce Andrew

 

Some are free, some have a small fee, all require registration.

Runnymede NatureFest 2019 volunteers needed, Sept. 29th

/in , /by

Photo by Ryan Dunn. Used with permission of Connection Newspapers.

Runnymede Park
195 Herndon Pkwy, Herndon VA
Sunday, 29 September 2019
1-5 pm

Friends of Runnymede Park is hosting this free, family-friendly event.  There will be live animals, games, exhibits and hands-on activities at stations throughout the park. Participants include:

– Leslie Sturges, “Save Lucy the Bat” will bring live bats.
– Blue Ridge Wildlife Center with live mammals.
– Lois Auer with live raptors.
– Reptiles from Riverbend Park.

Plus Bees, Butterflies, Crafts, Games and Much More!

For more information, visit our website, frpweb.org, or email [email protected].

Volunteers needed! Please contact Carol Hadlock.

Celebrate Hidden Oaks’ 50th anniversary, Oct 19

/in , /by

Join Hidden Oaks staff on Saturday, October 19, 11 am-4 pm to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the county’s first nature center. The event is free to the public and features musical groups as well as activities and learning stations.

The kick-off for the day is the unveiling of a carved tree at 11 am. Here’s the story:

Two electric bolts during a storm turned a 100-foot tulip poplar just outside the picture window at Hidden Oaks Nature center into an imminent danger to the building. The tree had been the focal point of the woodland view from the center. It was a feeding station for flying squirrels and many species of birds. Its loss was keenly felt by staff, park visitors, and the nature center’s wildlife neighbors.

But the lightning assault did not damage the tree’s base. That was the knock of opportunity. Staff arranged for a ten-foot stump to remain for chainsaw artist Andrew Mallon, who created a sculpture of critters that enjoyed the tree’s gifts over its 128-year life. The urban art will be the centerpiece of a learning station on natural woodland shelters, and the carving means the tree can be enjoyed for the next 20 years. Because it is near the nature center, the artwork is easily accessible to all visitors. Join the community as the tree is unveiled at the opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2019.

 

Native plant sale, Sep. 14th

/in , /by

Morven Park,17195 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg
(Enter via Old Waterford Rd. and proceed to the main parking lot.)
Saturday, 14 September 2019
9am – 3pm

Native Plant Sale sponsored by Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy!

Three native plant nurseries will have a huge selection of fall blooming flowers, shrubs, trees, vines and ferns for sale. Along with native plants, they’ll have:
– Loudoun Audubon at Home program
– Loudoun Stream Monitoring program
– Unique yard art from Sunny Lane Forge
– Loudoun County Master Gardeners
– Virginia Master Naturalists
– Information about JK Black Oak Wildlife Sanctuary
– And much more!

For more information, visit: https://loudounwildlife.org/event/fall-native-plant-sale-3/

For questions, contact Kim Strader at [email protected].